God's Righteousness

Psalm 71:19-21

Your righteousness, God, reaches to the heavens, you who have done great things. Who is like you, God? Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up. You will increase my honor and comfort me once more.

Greetings My Beloved,

I hope you are having a wonderful week. Mine has been interesting to say the least. I got a traffic ticket yesterday, and it really took me to a dark place. It has been quite a long time since I received a traffic ticket, and it took me down this slippery slope of dark thoughts. I felt so wretched. Have you ever felt that way. It was quite a humbling experience, recognizing that I am not perfect. Every once in a while I need a reality check. I get on this path striving so hard to be good, that I often times fall into the trap of thinking how good I am. Don't get me wrong, it is important to have self confidence, but there is a difference between self righteousness and God's righteousness. The first is when we think we are so great on our own. Then we go into this thought process thinking we are better than others. It brings this comparison thing to a whole new level, where we ultimately begin to judge others. Every once in a while God has to give me a humbling experience to recognize that He is God, and I am not - that my righteousness alone are like filthy rags:

Isaiah 64:6

All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.

Does that mean we should continue down the spiral of self condemnation, only to find ourselves so unworthy that we get the attitude that if we are bad anyways, we should just be bad. God wants for us to strive for righteousness, just His righteousness rather than our own.  

Philippians 3:7-11

But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ  and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

Once we recognize this righteousness, there is such freedom. Knowing that regardless of our situations, regardless of our trials or circumstances, that God is righteous - His righteousness reaches to the Heavens. He is King over the earth, so while we may face the justices without mercy within this world, know that God is a righteous judge, full of mercy. That He understands our troubles, and can restore our lives, raising up our honor while comforting us. Isn't that encouraging! Knowing that regardless of how bleak our situation may be. God's righteousness surpasses that, and He is able to restore our life.

 

Blessings,

Christina

God is Here

Psalm 28:6-9
Praise be to the Lord, for he has heard my cry for mercy. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him. The Lord is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one. Save your people and bless your inheritance; be their shepherd and carry them forever.

 

 

 

Greetings my beloved!

I hope you are having a fabulous week. I have not been feeling well all week, and have been in deep prayer. I know that God is present - He promised never to leave us. Hebrews 13:5b God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” No matter what you are going through, whether it is sickness and pain, hardships, or trials, God is right there by your side. When you have the unanswered questions, and you're not quite sure what tomorrow brings, God will be there by your side.

Psalm 23:5

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

He hears your cry for mercy, so cry out to Him. He will become your strength and shield, you just have to trust that He will help you. He is your shepherd, and will carry you forever. So, regardless of your situation, know that God is right there by your side, waiting for you to cry out to him. He wants to pick you up, and hold you in His arms, and comfort you. Allow Him to give you His strength.

Isaiah 40:29
He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

Cry out to Him today. Tell Him your worries, your concerns, your fears. Tell Him your joys, your praises, and your thanksgivings. Tell him of your sickness, your pains, and your discomforts. He is right there listening to you. All you have to do is talk to Him.

 

Blessings,

Christina

 

Being with the God of Peace

Philippians 4:4-9

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Greetings My Beloved!

I hope you are having a wonderful week. I was surprised by the drop in temperature, and can't seem to get the chill out yet. I'll be honest with you, this week has been a challenge for me. The enemy has robbed me of my sleep, filled my head with insecurities, and my emotions have been on a rampage - my poor husband has been kind enough to support me and comfort me during this troublesome week. It is so easy to get wrapped up into the cares of this world, that you neglect your spirit man, who is just aching for more God time. God is also longing for that time of just you and Him, yet we get so wrapped up in our day to day lives it is so easy to slip out of that spiritual time with the Father. In the mean time, you start to wonder, "Why do I feel so bad?" Let's face it, the further we get away from God, the further removed we feel from His Peace. I'm not saying that we are denying God, and becoming heathens. What I am saying is it takes one compromise, one justification, and you start down this slippery slope. Does it mean you're a bad person? No, what it means is you have to fight that much harder to get back into the Lord's presence. How do I know this, because it happens to me all the time.

This scripture says to "Rejoice in the Lord always." How easy it is to rejoice in the good times, but what about the bad times? What about when you're feeling sick, or tired because you spent the whole night worrying about things you have no control over? What about the times when nothing seems to be going right, are these times to rejoice? There is something about Rejoicing in the Lord, when your mouth starts singing praises, and your focus starts to change from self to the Lord. James 4:8 says, "Come near to God and he will come near to you." It's like a magnet pulling in to attach itself to it's polar opposite. The closer you get to God, the closer He pulls to you - it's so beautiful!

It is at that time, in the Lord's presence, that you can tell Him anything. Tell Him about your concerns, your worries, your doubts and fears. Tell Him that you love Him, and thank Him for all of the wonderful things that He has done! Then just sit and listen - bask in His presence, you'll never want to leave! Yet the chaos of the world is calling, and because we are still bound to this earth, there are some responsibilities that we can't ignore. Take God with you - His omnipresence really never leaves. Hebrews 13:5, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Life seems so much easier when you have God on your side. It's not to say that troubles won't come. The Bible is very clear about that, but there is good news:

Romans 8:28

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

James 1:2-4

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

It is at that time you can achieve true peace, God's peace. It's recognizing God is in control, God is the source of everything, and that even when bad things come along, there is reason to rejoice, because God is alive, and He will take care of everything.

So, don't let your thoughts go to waste thinking about the should of..., would of..., could of... No, think about the beauty of the Lord, and His majesty! Think about the God of Peace being by your side. So, be encouraged my friends, not to live another day in bondage, regretting the past, worried about the future, or the burdens of today, but think about How the Lord predestined your life. He has walked by your side every step of the way, and has a purpose and a vision for your life. So step into your destiny today!

Blessings!

Christina





Finding Rest for your Soul

Matthew 11:28-30

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Greetings, my beloved,

I hope you are having an excellent week. I'll be honest with you, our week has been a little hectic, and in turn exhausting. I am really looking forward to this weekend, in hopes to get some much needed rest.

Rest is important to God. After all, He rested during the creation:

Genesis 2:2

And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.

So, why is it that we, as mere humans, think that in this busy day and age, we are exempt from rest. We keep going and going like that little pink Energizer bunny. But there comes a time when fogginess crashes around you, and you don't know what you're saying or doing and you just crash. Anyways, that happens to me all of the time, and this week is no different. I have myself involved in so many different responsibilities, thinking I'm Super Woman or something, and then there comes a point that I just can't do it all. God needed a day to rest when He created the universe, why is it that I don't think I need rest?

Take a moment today to rest in God's presence. Seek His Holy face, and lay your burdens on Him. He cares for you. Tell Him about the things that bother you, the person that hurt your feelings unintentionally, or perhaps the frustration of trying to accomplish all of the tasks that are set before you. That mountain may look tall; the problems you are faced with may look large; perhaps you feel like you are in a desert searching for a drop of water; but God is bigger than any mountain, problem, insecurity, or frustration. He is your refuge when you're afraid, you're strength when you are weak, and your source, when you are lacking. Lay down your burdens before Him, His yoke is gentle and easy, and His burden is light. Find rest in your souls with Him!

Worship with me!

Blessings!

Christina